Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-06-02
TIE NATIONAL DRILL.

u
An Interesting Day ON the Drill Ground st
Washington-The Battalion Contest
A signal Triumph for the Louisville Lee
gion-The individual Drill-Result OF the
Rife Contest-Greenbacksf for the Win
sners.
WASHINGTON, May 27-The fourth day
of the National drill was ushered IN to
fair but threatening weather. When at
ten O'Clock the Indianapolis Light Infan-
try filed into the grounds fully eight
thousand people greeted them with ap-
plause The company was put through
the manual, which it performed In very
creditable manner
The Indianapolis boys were followed by
the Alexandria Light Infantry.
The jackson r fles came next, and were
well received.
The Molineaux Rifles, tof Brooklyn, N.
Y. followed, and went through the differ
emit military movements in a manner that
showed they were well up in the tactics.
twas, however, reserved for the Bel
knap Rifles, of San Antonio, Tex, to cap
ture the hearts of the large audience.
This company went through the difficult
military movements with such precision
that each movement drew forth raptur-
GUS applause. In the manual OF arms this
company appeared to come the nearest OF
any to the apparent perfection exnloiteo
The San Antonio rifles, next on the
programme, were well received, and
were followed by the Crack Lomax
Rifles, of Mobile. The latter company
did very well indeed: and surely crowded
the BeIknaps and Toledo boys pretty
hard; but those who make military tao
tics a study say that there appears to be
no doubt about the Ohioans still being In
the lead.
The Sheridan Rifles of New Hampshire
concluded the days company contests.
They went through the manual in good
shape, and their marching was creditable,
although not equal to that Of the Lomax
Rifles, who gave decidedly the best exhf
bition of the day. le
The battalion competition then COM
menced, and for the first time in the
history Of the militia OF this country,
three crack battalions, the Fifth Ri ode
Island, the Louisville Legion and the
Washington Light Infantry, were to con-
test for supremacy. The Rhode Island
battalion, Colonel Moran, drilled first, but
owing to the fact that their Colonel
had been absent from his COM
mand for months did not do themselves
just;c., and will not get a prize. me
Louisville Legion, Majors Coen and Kelly,
came ne xt in superb uniforms. and in ten
minutes less than the schedule time, exc
cuted every movement of the programme,
with precision and skill that elected
almost constant applause. Army on1cers
who inspected the Legion expressed them
selves as astonished at the perfect condi-
ton of the uniforms, guns and equip
| ments of this command.
The Washington boys followed the
Legion, and presented fine appearance;
but at the start several costly errors on
the part of the officers seemed to show
| that they were not quite up to the Ken
| lucky men. Their loss Of distances, and
| failure to support arms after Payments,
! soon told against them, and it looked at
| the conclusion Of the drill as though the
! battal,ons would rank: Legion first,
| Washington second, Rhode Island third.
| After the drill Colonel Moran of the
Rhode Island battalion called at the head
| quarters of the Legion and te ndered his
congratulations to them, as, in his
| opinion, the winners Of the first prize
! Then followed the individual drill of
| fifty men, not more than two men from
any one company. This was an interest
| ing exhibition of the manual of arms. As
| fast as a man was found in error he was
! dropped from the ranks. Finally, when
| the competitors were reduced to three
men, Herman G. Staacke, of the San
| Antonio Rifles, was called to the front, the
| rst prize man; and the two others,
CHarleS H.. COnrau, OIL bue w
| Light Infantry, and James b. Wagner, of
the Louisville Legion, continued the COM
petition Conrad was the next to be called
| to the front as the second prize man,
leaving Wagner the third prize.
The closing event of the day was an ex-
| hibition drill by the Lomax Rifles and the
Toledo Cadets. Miss Mary c. Voss, the
! sponsor of the Rifles, went on the field
and drilled the company in the manual.
Vociferous cheering greeted the fair COM
| mander, and her command as her orders
were given and executed, with celebrity
and precision.
The attendance was larger than on any
previous day, and last night every seat in
| the spacious Enclosure was occupied,
while thousands of spectators thronged
the open space in front of it to witness
| the Pyrorama.
| The rifle contests at the Arsenal TANGO
were concluded yesterday. The score OF
4 tho oiCht hest Shota was follows.